Soap Opera Digest: Let’s go back to how you two met for the first time, which was on the day Conner auditioned for Chance and you ran into each other at the entrance, right?
Melissa Ordway: We did, yeah. There was a rumor that no one was supposed to know that the show was recasting Chance. No one really filled me in but when I saw Conner sitting there, I was pretty sure that’s what he was there for. I remember trying to be discreet, so I was like, “What are you here for? Who are you reading with?”
Digest: Conner, what did you think of her interest in you?
Conner Floyd: It was kind of awkward. It basically went, “You’re reading?”, “Oh, yeah, I’m reading,” then she started giving me this whole character breakdown, which was so beyond the character breakdown I got. Melissa was telling me, “He’s FBI and we thought he was dead but he’s back.” I remember thinking at first, “Man, this girl is lying to me, for sure,” but that wasn’t the case.
Ordway: Our characters share a lot of history, and the scene we were using for the audition was an old Chance and Abby scene I had already done before. I wanted to give him some backstory so the scene would make sense. I wanted him to know that they had been through a lot together, like trying to get pregnant before he disappeared.
Digest: Melissa, do you remember when you found out that Conner got the part?
Ordway: First of all, I always want to give my two cents [on casting] but no one cares what I think [chuckles]. I remember asking, “Anyone want my input?” and they were like, “Have a great day.” I was hoping to get the inside scoop and someone would tell me, “Oh, yeah, we’re going to hire him,” but everyone was pretty tight-lipped. I finally found out maybe a few days later and I was so thrilled for him.
Digest: Conner, what stands out about your first day?
Floyd: I had a ton of lines to memorize and having Melissa there was extra-helpful. She was my only friend I had at that point and she showed me how to do everything, like how not to block someone’s light.
Ordway: He didn’t need my help because he knew his lines and he knew all of my lines, too. Then I started messing with him by giving him a fake backstory. I was like, “Oh, yeah, you were shot and that’s why we can’t have kids.”
Floyd: Actually, I was told Chance got shot right in the private parts and I was like, “What?”
Ordway: We all had him going for a few minutes.
Floyd: I just thought, “Well, it’s a soap so I guess anything is possible.”
Digest: Melissa, could you tell that he was nervous?
Ordway: No, not at all, even though it’s so hard to be thrown into such a big storyline and on top of that, you have to do it so quickly, but I felt like Conner was already a pro. He didn’t really need anyone’s help. I think I was more nervous for him.
Floyd: A few days later, we shot Chance’s welcome-home party and that’s when I met Eric [Braeden, Victor] and Peter [Bergman, Jack] and Melody [Thomas Scott, Nikki]. At the lunch break, Melissa said, “Come eat with us,” and it felt like I was invited to the cool kids’ table.
Digest: For months, you guys had to pretend a blanket or a doll was Dominic. How did that feel?
Ordway: It was weird. I would hold this doll and pretend it was a real baby but I would say, “This is hard, to make this look real.” And that poor baby. When we were done with the scene, it would get tossed on the couch or thrown around.
Floyd: And “Dominic” was always sleeping in the bassinet in the living room. Here was this big mansion but no nursery.
Digest: How did it feel when you finally got a real baby to play Dominic?
Ordway: We were all so excited. And let me tell you, Rainn and River [Ware] are such good little actors. Even the times they were fussy worked out really well because Chance had problems bonding with Dominic, so that made sense.
Floyd: There was one scene where one of them was bawling and we’re supposed to have a conversation. We just followed his lead, so any time he’d take a breath and stopped crying, we would fit a line in really quick.
Ordway: We were like, “Just keep rolling,” because his crying ended up working for the scene.
Digest: Who is most likely to flub or forget a line?
Ordway: Me.
Floyd: I don’t know about that. I think we’re pretty even.
Ordway: No, I feel flubbing is definitely more me, like when my mouth isn’t working. It doesn’t happen that often. We’re usually on the second stage, where the Chancellor living room set is, so we always shot in the afternoon. I had gotten into this routine of always working later in the day, but now they just recently switched it so we’re first up and my brain does not work as well that early in the morning.
Digest: Which one of you is peppier in the morning?
Ordway: We’re pretty equal in that department.
Floyd: I try to be a morning person but it’s all a front. I just act like I’m awake.
Ordway: If I can get a coffee before work, then I’m okay. But if I don’t get a coffee, then it’s a struggle.
Digest: Who’s the most likely to crack jokes?
Floyd: That’s definitely an Ordway move.
Ordway: You do it, too.
Floyd: When I first got there, Chance was having the PTSD stuff, so I wanted to lock in this seriousness but Melissa is over there cracking jokes and making me laugh. And I’d have to be like, “Hold on. Let me get back to my PTSD.”
Ordway: Thankfully, he has a good sense of humor because otherwise it would just be miserable. Have you ever worked with someone so serious? It’s awful.
Digest: Since you’re on the same work schedule, do you take lunch breaks together?
Ordway: Sometimes but Conner doesn’t typically eat.
Floyd: That’s because I’m a big breakfast guy. We’re more about making a quick run to Starbucks.
Ordway: However, I need a full-on sit-down meal when I get hungry!
Digest: Do you usually talk shop or about anything but that?
Ordway: All we ever talk about is running lines together.
Floyd: What?
Ordway: I’m just kidding. He has the sweetest, prettiest girlfriend ever, Carly, so I like to hear about her.
Floyd: We’ve hung out with our significant others. Justin [Gaston, ex-Chance; ex-Ben, DAYS, her husband] is the man and he can absolutely shred on a guitar. And I’m trying to soak up as much car knowledge as I can from the guy. I like hearing about Melissa’s kids and all the drama in her life.
Digest: Melissa, if Conner was an emoji what emoji would he be?
Ordway: The one with sunglasses and smiling because he’s a happy, cool guy.
Digest: Conner, same question about Melissa.
Floyd: I’m pretty sure there’s a blonde one with a crown on because she’s a little queen.
Ordway: I love that. Can you share that with Justin?
Digest: How do you think it might change their dynamic now that Chase has bent the rules as a cop to help protect her family where the case of Ashland’s death is concerned?
Floyd: He feels compromised. He’s upset about that and it definitely has dampened his view of himself because he stooped down to a level that he never wanted to stoop down to.
Digest: Co-Executive Producer Josh Griffith teased there could be problems coming up for Abby and Chance. How do you feel about that?
Ordway: What? Really? I’m excited to see what could happen because in the soap world, when you’re too happy for too long, the audience starts to find you boring. I don’t want there to be too much drama but I think that it’ll be interesting to play. I want Abby and Chance to stay together but maybe they don’t get along and kind of explore those issues.
Floyd: I think being an upstanding cop and having the Newmans as your in-laws means there’s always going to be a problem.
Ordway: It’s very difficult to be married to Victor Newman’s daughter because he’s always doing bad stuff, so that’s a very difficult position for Chance to be in.
Digest: What kinds of conflicts would you like to see the two of them navigate?
Ordway: Not necessarily Victor drama, but it’d be interesting to show the day-to-day stuff that couples go through, like getting annoyed with each other and parental disagreements because I feel like a lot of people can relate.
Floyd: I love all the police work, so anything law-related. And I love a good scandal, so a juicy scandal would be great!
Ordway: I think it would definitely be interesting to see Chance not cave next time and go after the Newmans or be instrumental in prosecuting one of them. Also, Abby constantly worrying about Chance’s safety as a cop could really weigh on her.
Digest: Melissa, what’s the best thing about working with Conner?
Ordway: There are so many great things but I just love that we’ve become good friends. It’s fun that we feel so comfortable with each other and I like knowing that he’s so prepared that when we get together on set, we’re going to shoot some great stuff. He’s such a fun guy, so we’re always joking and laughing together. Our friendship is the best part about working together.
Digest: Conner, what’s the best thing about working with Melissa?
Floyd: I can double down on all of that but I think it’s also cool that we love to talk about the scene and slam our artist heads together to really break it down. We want to come up with something cool that everyone finds entertaining and interesting, so just sitting down with Melissa to talk about how we can create those moments is why we’re such good friends and even colleagues.
Digest: What message would each of you like to send to the Chance and Abby fans?
Ordway: Thank you for the love and support, and I hope that we can continue to create some things that will excite you.
Floyd: It’s so cool seeing all the support and comments on social media. I think it’s very sweet that people go out of their way to post really kind messages. We appreciate everybody watching and showing so much love for Chance and Abby.
